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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for human rights violations due to her severe measures on protests led by students which caused her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the turmoil last year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had requested tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, she expressed the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was content of her government's record on human rights.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security ahead of the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson told media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 began with demands to abolish state employment quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader confirmed by external reviews during the current year indicated she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those killed during the protests informed media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the ballot.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her repatriation but until now India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am sad," he added.

Recently, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed media outlets. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this nation."

The activist added that the sentence was not resolution for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with the former leader and the former hierarchy," he stated.